Let it Snow!
by wolf08
Summary: A sasusaku CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! All of Konoha's young Genin are invited to the Annual Academy Christmas Party, but much to Sakura's dismay, Sasuke won't come. She leaves early, gets lost in a snowstorm and runs into someone all too familiar...


**Declaimer:**** The characters in this story belong to Masashi Kishimoto, but this plot is rightfully mine.**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Let It Snow**

**-written by: wolf08**

**This is a secret one-shot that I've been working on! I hope you all like it!**

**Summary: **A sasusaku Christmas special! All of the young Genin in Konoha are invited to the Annual Academy Christmas Party, but much to Sakura's dismay, Sasuke won't come. She leaves the party early and gets lost in a snowstorm, only to run into someone all-too familiar…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Feeling much like the tedious and indolent Shikamaru, with his head hanging and his feet dragging, Naruto Uzumaki was on his way to the training grounds. Is something wrong with this picture? You can bet your bottom. Rather than frightening his peers with his insanely excitable personality, Naruto was feeling totally down in the dumps. And at a time like this, you'd expect to see the total _opposite_ behaviour in this spunky blonde: it was training-time (which he undoubtedly loved), and it was only one week until Christmas! Now let me tell you, if there was one thing Naruto loved (besides ramen), it was Christmas. Who doesn't? I mean, you get presents, you have parties, you get presents, there's mistletoe, Christmas cookies, presents, Christmas trees, carols, building snowmen, presents, sledding, skating, skiing, hot chocolate with marshmallows, warm fires, and presents! If that isn't something you'd love to have, I won't hesitate to tell you right here and now that you're crazy.

Then what could possibly be the matter with Naruto?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He arrived at his teams meeting place (a bridge), yet to turn his frown upside down. His two team mates were waiting, leaning against the bridge's rails. Sakura Haruno, the adorable, pink-haired genius, was the first to speak. "Last one to arrive _again_?" she said with a mocking pout and running a finger vertically down her cheek; pretending to have shed a tear. Yes, Sakura _was _cute and brainy, but she was also intemperate, stubborn and dead-set on Sasuke (the third to their party), making her an impossible catch.

Sasuke Uchiha grunted his welcoming. Clearly he was never known for his manners. But he _was _known. You can count on that too, because he was only the most popular boy in all of Konoha. Jet-black hair, dark eyes, the perfect build, a descendant of the most famous clan… Sasuke was a chick-magnet, but get this right off the bat: he was no ladies-man. He wanted nothing to do with the others. Sure he considered Sakura and Naruto his friends, and he would also put his life on the line for either of them, but in general, he was not a people-person. Instead, his mind was set on the revenge he would get on his brother for killing the rest of their family.

"I'm not _last_," Naruto was to rebut, his dramatic flare sparking once again. Uh oh. Trouble must be on the way. You see, Naruto was annoying on a whole new level when he was happy, angry, emotional, excited, surprised… (ok he was always annoying), once he got his dramatic flare burning. "_Actually _I'm next to last. Kakashi-sensei still isn't here," he said, stomping his foot and folding his arms. He had forgotten about being sad for the moment. Yeah, Naruto was just about as smart as Sasuke was polite.

Sakura shook her head defiantly. "Well, Kakashi-sensei is always a few hours late so he doesn't count any more," she said matter-of-factly.

Naruto groaned and leaned against the railing too. This was _not_ his morning. He decided to let the world know. "I'M SO DEPRESSED!" he shouted into Sakura's ear. She winced and bonked him on the head out of reflex.

"I'll give you another reason to be if you don't pipe down!" she shouted back.

"Well sor-ry! I'm just so filled with depression that I had to let it out!"

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

"That's enough," Sasuke said, in a much calmer and chilling tone. Sakura shuddered and resumed leaning on the rail in silence. If you thought that Sakura treated Naruto harshly, you should see how Sasuke treats Sakura. Sakura was not only infatuated with this cold, stuck-up jerk. She was in love with him. _Head-over-heals_ in love with him. But he would never give her the time of day and would not hold back to reject her or tell her off.

Naruto, on the other hand, had taken Sasuke's threat as a challenge. "You want to go, Sasuke? Come on! You and me, right here and right now! Hand to hand combat! The winner gets Sakura as their prize!" Naruto reached into his weapons pouch for a kunai-knife, but instead he accidentally grabbed a bowl of instant-noodles. "Whoops," he muttered, shoving it back in and pulling out a knife. Sakura frowned. She really hated being brought into their arguments.

"No," Sasuke dead-panned, shaking his head.

"Why not? Are you too scared to fight me?!" Naruto asked.

"Wrong again, loser," Sasuke said agitatedly and rolling his eyes. "I came here to train; not to wrestle with an idiot."

Naruto was about to charge at him, but someone appeared between he and Sasuke, blocking his way. "Sorry I'm late. I'm afraid that I got lost on the path of life," said the voice of the new-arrival.

"_Liar_," Sakura sneered. "We've heard that excuse before, sensei."

Kakashi was the team teacher and leader. He was a generation older and two ranks higher than the rest of the team too. He had slanted silver-grey hair, an army-green Jonin vest, and a mask that covered half of his face (the covered half will have to remain secrecy…). "What's all of the commotion?" he asked, eyeing Naruto suspiciously. "Don't tell me the two of you were bickering again," he said, nodding towards the two boys.

"We were, but Sasuke started it," Naruto said immediately. Sasuke rubbed his temples with annoyance.

"Ah," Kakashi said, folding his arms. "That's a _very _likely story." Not giving Naruto a chance to butt in again, he continued. "Well then, on a happier note, I am pleased to tell the three of you that the four of us have been invited to the Ninja Academy's annual Christmas party!" He handed each of them a red and green bordered invitation.

"We weren't invited," Sasuke said, being the party-pooper. "It's standard for all of the young Genin of our village to attend. They haven't really been given a choice but to invite us."

Sakura nodded but still looked thrilled with the idea of a party, and Naruto slapped his forehead. "Oh-my-gosh! I nearly forgot! I'm really depressed right now!" he yelled stupidly. The others looked up at him with confusion. "Man, and I thought that you'd all be depressed too! Don't you all realize that Christmas is only next week?!" They all nodded slowly. "Rrgh! You all aren't getting it! There isn't any snow! If Christmas comes without any snow, then it won't actually count!"

Kakashi put his head in his hands. "Naruto, you do realize that it hasn't snowed in Konoha for many years-" but Naruto cut him off.

"Who cares about the other years? We _need_ snow _this_ year so we can have a Christmas!" Naruto yelled, fisting locks of his spiky hair with agony.

"I guess he has a bit of a point," Sakura admitted. "It would be nice to have snow."

Sasuke pushed himself off of the rail of the bridge. "I don't understand why this all matters to you guys so much. I mean, whether there's snow or not, Christmas is going to come. I really couldn't care less. I hate Christmas. It's a waste of time."

Naruto gasped. "How dare you-!" he began, but he was lost for words. To him, Sasuke had pushed it too far this time.

"You… _hate_ it?" Sakura asked quietly.

Sasuke faced them fully. "Yes. _I hate it_. It's a waste of perfectly good time that I could be using to get stronger. And besides, what's the point of having Christmas? It's a time to be with your family, and _some of us_ here would find that quite difficult, wouldn't we?"

Sakura's heart sank when she realized that part of Sasuke's remark had been directed at her because, after all, she was the only one on the team who _still had_ a family. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes and she said nothing. Naruto frowned.

"But… what about the Christmas party?"

_Riiiiip! _

Sasuke tore his invitation in two. "Hn," he grunted.

Naruto growled and Sakura covered her mouth with her hands. "_Bah Humbug's_ more like it," Naruto muttered under his breath.

Kakashi decided not to linger on the topic of Christmas any longer, or else another fight may arouse. "Just let Sasuke believe what he wants," Kakashi said, ending the argument. "But as for now, we have to train."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The following week was long and filled with last-minute Christmas-gift buying. While taking a stroll down Konoha's main road, you'd be greeted by children with their faces pressed against windows, mothers running in and out of stores to grab last-minute ingredients and decorations, and fathers who were falling off of ladders as they tried to put up their Christmas lights. Despite all of the traditional holiday hustle and bustle, there still wasn't any snow.

"Hey, you're in luck," Kakashi said one day before training. The other three looked up hopefully. "There's a fifty percent chance of freezing rain on Christmas Eve."

Naruto groaned. "You call _that _lucky?!" he cried disdainfully.

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, it's closer to snow than what we've been getting."

Besides this, nothing came any closer to a snowfall. Time was running out until the Christmas party too, which would be taking place on the night of Christmas Eve. Sakura was worrying herself to bits as to what gifts to buy for her team mates. She had already made up her mind for what she would buy Kakashi: a constructive book that might _hopefully_ draw him away from the disgusting selection he already had. Naruto was kind of easy to buy for too. After all, he would accept pretty much anything from her, so she figured that a gift-certificate to his favourite restaurant or something along those lines should suffice. Sasuke, on the other hand, was a whole other story. Being the Grinch himself, would he be insulted if she even bought him anything at all? Whether or not she would get him a gift wasn't even half of the problem; the biggest dilemma weighing on her shoulders was _what_ to buy him. Anything fun or romantic was totally out of question.

Naruto was stressed for very different reasons this holiday season. He was more worried about the weather turn-out than gift-buying. Heck, he'd probably grab Sakura, Kakashi, Hinata, Kiba and the others a pack of gum to share on the way to the party, and Sasuke (the old Scrooge) would get a bop on the head. But if the weather turns out for the better, Sasuke would get a snowball to the head instead.

Sasuke was forcing his mind away from the holiday cheer and spent his time all alone at the training grounds. He had to return a little earlier than he would have like to though, due to the notable decline in the weather. On the way home, he couldn't help but glance in shop and house windows longingly. But he'd immediately snap his head back around when he started missing the good old days when he still _had_ a family to enjoy the holidays with… Naruto didn't have a family either, but he wasn't as emotionally scarred as Sasuke was because he had never _known_ his family.

As unprepared as everyone felt, Christmas Eve came at last… _without _snow.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After passing through the Academy doors, the sights were ineffable; unpredictable and yet indescribable. The classrooms were locked, and after walking down the school hallways and entering the gym, your mouth would drop about a mile. It had been your average school gymnasium, but not anymore.

The lines on the floor had somehow become a marble-white to match the lace table cloths. Small tables to seat four were lined up on the far side of the gym, and a sitting area with deep red couches was in the far corner, facing the large window draped with matching red curtains. In the center was a tiled dance-floor, equipped with a DJ, white lights and the whole shi-bang. On the right-hand wall, there was mini café selling hot chocolate, tea and Christmas treats. From the ceiling hung white and blue streamers, mistletoe and a huge sign supporting the words: Winter Wonderland. On the far wall facing the door was an enormous Christmas tree with white lights and tinsel.

Sakura entered with awe. It was so… formal. She felt slightly out of place, for all she wore was a knee-length, red, jean skirt with a black long-sleeve V-neck. She kept her hair in place with a red head-band and she also had a red and white necklace as a finishing touch. Although she had taken ages dressing for this party, she still didn't feel like she fit in. This place looked fit for a wedding reception!

"Sakura!" called a cheerful voice. Sakura turned and was glad to see her best friend Ino tottering her way. She had her hair in her usual blonde pony-tail and side-bang, her blue eyes were sparkling with delight and she had her usual skip to her stride, but there was one twist to her appearance: she was dressed as Mrs. Clause. There was no mistaking it too: she was wearing more fitted version of Santa's red coat, accept she was wearing it as a short dress instead. It ended somewhere in the middle of her thighs with a fluffy, white rim. She also had high-healed, knee-high, black boots, a black belt and red, dangling earrings. She gave Sakura a grin, which was willingly returned. "How do you like it?" she asked, spinning on one of her toes before continuing her walk towards Sakura.

"It looks great!" she replied. "Were we supposed to dress up or something?"

Ino shook her head. "Nah. Only me and the lucky guy who gets nominated to be Santa. I'll make sure that it'll be Sasuke!" she said with a sly grin, knowing that she had ticked Sakura off.

But instead of growling, Sakura only sighed. "I'm afraid that he _can't_ be your Santa Clause. Sasuke's not coming to the party," Sakura said, almost relieved that she wouldn't be forced to compete for his attention.

Ino tilted her head to the side and pouted. "Oh," she said, twirling a strand of blonde hair around a finger. "That's too bad. I guess I'll just have to find someone else to take his place." Honestly, Ino wasn't taking it as badly as Sakura thought she would. "Well anyways, come on! Let's go have some fun!" she said, grabbing Sakura's wrist and pulling her into the expanding crowd on the dance-floor. The opening song was a "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Remix". Bodies were jumping and swaying to the beat of the song as they would at any other school dance, making it difficult for the two girls to manoeuvre through the crowd. Once they were out of the crowd again and a safe enough distance away from the DJ to hear each other, Ino said, "So where do you want to go first?"

Sakura looked around. "I don't know. How about we find the other girls?" Ino agreed and the two of them started their hunt. After five minutes of searching, they found Hinata, Tenten and Neji sitting at a lacy, white table with steaming mugs of hot chocolate. "Hey guys!" Sakura called out.

The three of them looked up. Hinata and Tenten, like Sakura were wearing classier outfits than Ino was. Neji, Hinata's cousin and Tenten's boyfriend, was dressed up a little too, his long brown hair framing his face. Sakura and Ino pulled up a couple of chairs and joined them in an enjoyable conversation. Neji then swept Tenten away onto the dance floor and Sakura couldn't help but envy her. Neji had been nearly as cold as Sasuke was, but somehow, Tenten had managed to change him.

Ino soon left to buy herself a hot drink, leaving Sakura alone with Hinata. Hinata had short, layered black hair, a pale complexion and glowing, silver-white eyes. She had a very timid, classy and polite personality and was very patient and easy to open up to. Momentarily she was wearing a simple but pretty midnight-blue dress with a beaded, white necklace and matching earrings. They talked for several minutes when Hinata suddenly piped up, "O-oh! It's him!" She scrambled out of her chair and scurried behind Sakura's back.

"What is it?" Sakura said, glancing in the direction Hinata had been pointing in. "Hey! It's Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "Over here!" she called, giving him a wave.

"No! D-Don't call him over!" Hinata said with a shaky squeak.

"Why not?" Sakura asked, looking over her shoulder. "I thought that you liked him?"

Sakura felt her grow tense. "I-I d-d-do," Hinata gushed, her face growing red. "It's just… I d-don't want to faint again… and I tend to faint when he looks at me."

Sakura chuckled. "Nonsense! Have courage Hinata! That's all you need!" she said, giving Hinata a gentle, comforting pat on the arm. "Just try to treat him like any other ordinary person and you should be fine." Hinata nodded and returned to her chair as Naruto arrived at the table.

"Sakura and Hinata!" he said with a smile. "Wow, do you girls ever look great!" Hinata's face darkened, but she took heed of Sakura's previous words, and instead of fainting, she said, "T-thanks, Naruto! You look gr-great too!"

Naruto looked surprised for a few moments, but then his smile widened. "Thank you!" he said, sitting down next to her. "Well, Sakura, as you've noticed, it's _still not snowing!_" he suddenly fumed, pounding his fists onto the table, causing everything on it and Hinata to jump. "It's started raining, and it's going to be stormy soon, but it's just not the same! Tomorrow's Christmas and we need snow!"

"You're disappointed about that too?" Hinata suddenly said. "I was complaining about it to Neji, but he told me to stop fussing because it wasn't going to happen."

"You're kidding!" Naruto said, his eyes lighting up and he looked at her like he had never seen her before. "That's just what my team said to me! Hey… um… do you want to dance with me, Hinata?" he asked, catching her off guard.

Hinata hid her thrill with a deep blush. "S-s-sure!" she said, following him onto the floor, the DJ now playing, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause- Candlelight Version". Sakura started feeling very excited for and proud of her friend, but that bubbly feeling slowly drained away when she realized that she was now sitting alone. She stood up and pondered over what she should do next.

Sakura decided to stretch her legs and take a brisk stroll around the gym. She spied Ino sitting next to Shikamaru, who had just been nominated to be Santa Clause. She also ran into Rock Lee; the wearer of revolting, green jump-suits who had a shiny mop of black hair and very bushy eyebrows. Sakura cringed but greeted him all the same and joined him in a short chat. They started walking and talking, but Sakura noticed that he was leading her closer to mistletoe… so she told him that she had to leave.

"Aw, already?!" he whined. "The party's not over for another two hours!"

She checked her watch and it read that it was 8 o'clock. Two hours down, two hours to go. "Yeah, I think that I should leave. Naruto told me that there was going to be a storm, so I'd better get a move on so I don't get caught in it. Thanks for your concern," she said with a wave and heading over to the coat racks.

"Anything for you!" he said with a salute and running off to join his mentor, Gai in the conga line. Sakura smiled to herself as she threw her coat on and motioned to exit the gym, but then Tenten came bursting out of the crowd.

"Are you leaving?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Sakura said. "I don't want to get caught in the storm."

"Oh," Tenten said, taking a few steps forward. "Well, sorry to break the news to you, but you've missed your chance. Shino just arrived and told me that it's a blizzard out there. Why don't you stay a little longer? My parents can give you a lift!"

"Thanks for the offer," Sakura said with a smile, "but I think that I'll have to take a pass on that. I'd better go."

"Ok," Tenten said, giving her a friendly hug. "Well, Neji's waiting for me, so I'll see you around!" she said with a wave and disappearing into the crowd.

Sakura exited the gym, went through the school hallways, opened the grand, front doors and found herself face-to-face with the blizzard. Freezing cold pellets of ice were immediately blasted into her face, stinging her cheeks and ears. She regretted not packing a hat and mittens. The ground was slushy and the wind was fierce, bending and snapping tree-branches and picking up objects as if they were grains of dust. The wind slammed the doors shut for Sakura, roaring in her ears, enveloping her and trying to pick her up off her feet. Her hair was whipped around, and she was forced to shut her eyes tightly.

_I might as well get this over with,_ she thought, daring to imagine what she would feel like twenty minutes later when she finally arrived home. She bravely took a step forwards, into the wind with her head bowed low to shelter her face from the falling ice. It didn't work very well though; she couldn't see where she was going. She looked up, but that proved to be a mistake. The ice and wind entered her lungs through her mouth and nose, preventing her from drawing a breath. She quickly bowed down again, but unable to see.

_What do I do?! _she thought, peeking through her bare fingers to look around, but her hands were beginning to sting. Deciding that she would have to bear it one way or another, she forced herself to move onwards for another five minutes, her body growing numb. As her teeth started to chatter, she made the decision that she desperately needed to get out of this. There was no way that she would make it home in this storm. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a bench and she made her way over to it. She sat down with her back to the wind, folded her legs and sheltered her face with her arms. Her body was trembling and she was starting to feel nauseous.

The wind was picking up speed, snapping off larger branches and throwing them like weapons. Sakura squeaked when one narrowly missed her head. _That could have taken out an eye! This is getting dangerous!_ She buried her head farther into her arms and vaguely wondered if she would survive. _If I do, this will be one Christmas Eve that I'll never forget! _

Someone roughly grabbed her arm.

Immediately, she opened her eyes, but the freezing rain pierced them, forcing her to keep them shut. _What's going on?! Who's there? An angel?!_ What ever was holding her arm had pulled her to her feet. She squinted her eyes and managed to catch a glimpse of a dark silhouette, but nothing more. But whatever it was, it started pulling her on through the storm.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

If only there had been snow, Naruto would have been having the time of his life. After all, he had just met a pretty girl in whom he shares several interests with, she's kind, easy to talk to, and he was drinking a creamy hot chocolate on a plush, red couch beside her. And just to top it off, he looked up and spotted mistletoe. His heart skipped a beat and his mouth grew very dry once he saw that Hinata had noticed it too. Keeping up the tradition, they leaned forwards slowly… closer… closer…

"Hey Naruto!"

"_WHAT?!"_ was his reply, words etched with loathing.

Tenten stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed the position he was in. "Oh, _oh!_ S-sorry for interrupting you!" she said, putting a hand over her mouth and taking a step back. Hinata was barely able to stop herself from fainting.

"Well, now that you have my attention," Naruto said with a frown, "_what is it_?"

Tenten glanced at them guiltily before continuing. "Er… I just thought that I'd let you know that Sakura left the party… and seeing as you're her team mate, I though that it would be important to tell you that it is storming severely."

Naruto stood up. "You _let_ her go out into a storm?!" he asked, dramatic flare sparking.

Tenten winced. "N-no! She left ten minutes ago and the storm hadn't been so bad! But it got worse… and according to the weather channel, we're supposed to stay inside. I think we should make sure that she gets home ok."

"How bad _is _the storm?" Naruto asked, but after watching a car fly by out the window, he turned back to the other two with a false smile. "_O-k_ then. Hinata, you go find Kiba and Shino. Tenten, find Neji and Rock Lee. I'll round up Ino, Shikamaru and Choji. We're going to go save Sakura." Turning on their ninja-mode, they focused chakra to their feet and split up, propelling themselves through the crowd with giant leaps and bounds.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

In what felt like only a matter of seconds, Sakura's surroundings transformed from a hazardous, freezing blizzard to the front hall of a small house. It was musty and dark, but it definitely felt better than being out in the cold. She was still unable to make out the face of her savoir (or kidnapper for that matter). After she had licked the frost off of her thawing lips, she quietly started speaking, "W-wha-? Who are-… what is-?" but she was unable to finish because the mystery person had forcefully started dragging her forwards. She was pushed onto something that she assumed was a couch, and before she had a chance to yell, a dim light flicked on.

Her eyes adjusted and when she finally got a clear view of the person's face, she made a funny sound between a scream and a gasp… and then broke down into a coughing fit. Sasuke rolled his eyes, abandoned his position from leaning against the wall and walked out into the kitchen. "Sasuke! How did you find me?! Where the heck am I?!" she finally managed to blurt out, not caring whether she sounded rude.

Sasuke walked back out of the kitchen, looking annoyed. "I found you when I was on my way back from…," he paused. "Er… training," he finished lamely. Sakura had a feeling that he was lying. "And right now you are in my house. Don't you dare thank me for it either; I never wanted to bring you in here. We just so happened to be closer to here than we were your house." Hoping that he was finished with the conversation, he went back to the kitchen without backwards glance.

Sakura's brain was barely able to comprehend the situation. She could hardly believe her luck. Who cares if she had nearly died? Right now she had just been saved by her hero, Sasuke, and was sitting safely and soundly in his house! But that wasn't the only thing on her mind. She realized that she was starting to catch a cold, and her body was so numb that it burned. Her mind was about to burst, because although she understood that she was sitting in the house of the love of her life, he obviously didn't want her to come anywhere near him. Did he think that she was a pathetic, useless wimp who didn't even know how to find her way home? And speaking of home, how would she get there?! When was this storm going to be over?! Would she have to be stranded in the Scrooge's house on Christmas Eve? Would he lock her up somewhere or force her to walk home in the storm?

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Sakura hadn't noticed Sasuke return until he placed a mug down onto the coffee table before her. She jumped, but caught the armrest just in time before toppling off the couch. Sasuke stared at her for a second, confused by her frightened actions then he sank into a shabby armchair across from the couch.

Sakura stared at the mug in disbelief. Was this some sort of peace offering? Had Sasuke actually _given_ her this drink or was this a test? Had he given this to her to keep her quiet? Did he put some sort of sleep-powder in it? Was it a trap? You see, you never really know what to do with yourself when you're stuck in a room with a prodigy. That sneaky Uchiha was up to something.

Sakura was staring daggers at the steaming mug, trying to see through any kind of deception. She daringly picked it up and took a bitter sniff of its contents. She pulled it away from her face immediately, in case the steam had any side-effects of some sort.

"You… don't like tea?" Sasuke asked slowly, tilting his head to the side and raising an eyebrow.

Caught off guard, Sakura nearly dropped the mug. "T-tea? Oh yeah! I like tea. This is tea, right?" she said, but she paused. After reciting the words she had previously spoken in her head, she wanted nothing more than to hide in a hole. Sasuke looked at her as if she was some kind of retard before leaning back into the chair. Sakura felt her face turn red. _Why didn't I just keep that big mouth of mine shut?! _But then another thought occurred to her. _Why does he _want _me to drink this? Was I right? Is this a trap…? _"Why did you give me tea?" she asked quickly before drinking.

Sasuke opened his mouth for a moment, but then he snapped it shut. He seemed to be having trouble finding the right words to say. "It's… it's because you were cold," he finally managed to say, folding his arms, again looking confused.

"Oh," Sakura said, taking a small sip. She swallowed. It tasted like tea. "It's good!" she said with a smile. _So he hadn't been trying to knock me out! Wow. This has got to be the nicest thing he's ever done for me! _"Thank you," she said, bringing her voice down to a lower and calmer tone.

"It was nothing," he said, tilting his head back, rubbing his forehead with his fingers and letting out a stifled yawn. "I'm tired," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair as he brought his head back down. Sakura was perplexed. He was acting like such a normal person! This _had _to be a trap! Or was she dreaming? "Oh yeah," Sasuke said, recalling a question he was meaning to ask. "Why did you leave the party? It's not over for a couple of hours." He attempted to keep his voice monotonous, but was unable to hide a hint of curiosity.

Again surprised, she slowly answered, "Well… Naruto forewarned me about this storm, so I decided to leave the party early, thinking I'd beat it home. Obviously I was wrong and I just ended up getting caught right in the middle of it. I also left because Rock Lee tried to catch me under the mistletoe," she added, shivering at the memory.

Sasuke cringed. "Bushy brow?! Yeah, I would have left too," he said. Sakura laughed, but Sasuke didn't even smile. He was dead serious.

"Well, what were _you_ doing out and about in the middle of the storm?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke suddenly looked uneasy. "I was on the way home from training."

"Liar," Sakura said with a smirk. Sasuke looked surprised, so she added, "Trust me. I can tell. What were you _really_ doing?"

"Training," he repeated, but her sceptic expression forced him to continue. "And… then I bought food."

"_Only_ food?" she asked, teasing him now.

He looked very annoyed. "Yes! I mean… no! I mean… oh, whatever! I'll show you," he said, standing up and walking out into the kitchen. Curious, Sakura followed. The kitchen was small and lifeless like the living room. Before the front window was a large, oak table with two plastic bags hanging from a chair-leg. Sasuke led her there and emptied the bags onto the table. "See?" he said, motioning for her to look at the pile. "This is what I bought. Happy?"

Sakura's expression was still unmoving. He was hiding something. She took a closer look at the pile and found milk, bread, tomatoes, apples, a jar of pickles, hot chocolate mix… wait. Hold that thought. "You got hot chocolate?" Sakura asked with a grin.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What, you wanted me to give you hot chocolate instead of tea?" he asked with a snort.

She shook her head. "No… It's just… you don't seem like a hot chocolate kind of guy. It almost seems too ' fun' for you," she said truthfully. He shrugged and frowned. Sakura continued rooting through his pile of food. "What's this?" she asked, spotting a small, red object at the bottom of the pile.

"Nothing," Sasuke snapped, snatching it from her.

Sakura smiled slyly. Poking him in the shoulder, she said, "I _knew _you were hiding something from me!" He shook his head and shoved the object into his pocket. "Come on!" she pleaded. "I'm not going to laugh or tell anyone!" He rolled his eyes and started walking back out into the living room. Agitated, Sakura followed him. One way or another, she was going to find out what he was up to.

He walked over to the window. "It's still storming," he said quietly. "I'm glad I left the training grounds in time, or I would have gotten lost too."

"Man, I really should have accepted Tenten's offer for a ride home," Sakura said with a sigh. "But then again, the car itself might have been blown away. So I guess I should be thankful for the way everything turned out. I'm glad you were there," she added sheepishly. Sasuke didn't say anything. She turned away from the window to take a good look at the living room. "Well, you don't seem to make very much of an effort to decorate for the holidays," she said grumpily. And she was right. The impoverish couch had its back to the window, with the arm chair across from it. Next to the arm chair was a wooden side-table supporting a dim lamp, and in the left wall was a fireplace, above it an empty mantle. There was a rustic bookshelf beside the door on the right wall, and other than the cobwebs and dust, that was it.

Sasuke sat down on the couch. "I already told you that I don't care," he said bluntly.

Sakura sat down too. "You do," she said with a smug grin. "That's why you won't show me what's in your pocket. You don't want anyone to know."

He shot her a glare. "What makes you think that it has anything to do with Christmas?"

"Why else would you hide it from me?"

"Why else would I _show_ it to you?"

He had a point. This was getting no where. She huffed, folded her arms and turned away from him, missing his satisfied smirk.

_Tap! T-t-tap! Tap tap!_

"What the-?" Sasuke started, turning back to look out the window. They spotted the source of the sound: a tree branch bashing into the window, due to the force of the vicious winds. Ice pellets were still shooting from the sky, snapping twigs, pounding on windows and freezing everything in its path. Sasuke growled and stood up again. "If this storm damages anything, I am _not_ fixing it."

"That's the spirit," Sakura said sarcastically and rolling her eyes. "Oh yeah, do you have any kind of heat-source in this place? I'm freezing," she said with a shiver.

"You mean blankets?" he asked.

"Yeah, a blanket would be nice," she said with a smile. Sasuke left the room, hands in his pockets, and returned a few minutes later with a navy-blue, fleece blanket tucked under an arm. When he spread it out, Sakura saw that it had a large Uchiha crest embroidered in the center. "Wow, it looks great," she said when he threw it at her. She wrapped herself right up to her chin and savoured the warmth. Ah, did this ever feel wonderful. And Sakura would have let her thoughts slip away into a dreamless sleep if she hadn't heard something drop. Her eyes snapped open and she spotted something small and red on the wooden floor. Bingo.

Sasuke couldn't believe his misfortune! _How on earth did it manage to fall out of my pocket?! _He reached down to grab it, but was not fast enough and Sakura beet him to it. She quickly turned her back to him so she would have time to study the object… but it wouldn't take a genius to determine what it was: it was a star. A small, red, golden-edged star. She brought it closer to her eyes for more precise examination. It appeared to hold no secrets… so why had Sasuke hidden it from her?

It was then that one of Sasuke's hands snuck around her, prying the star out of hers. "Satisfied?" he asked coldly. "But don't get your mind all worked up. It's not like I'm going to _use_ it. I only bought it for sentimental reasons."

Sakura turned back around. What was he talking about? She stared at it blankly as he shoved it into his pocket… and then it hit her. At the base of the star there was a cone-shaped funnel… meaning… "You were going to decorate a tree?" she asked, a trace of surprise in her tone.

"I'm not _using_ it!" he repeated. It was his turn to turn away and face the opposite wall.

"That's very likely," she said, again with sarcasm. "Why else would you buy it?"

"I got it because… it's just… I wanted to have it. Rrrgh, it's hard to explain." He peered over his shoulder. "Wait here," he said suddenly and walking out of the room. Caught off guard for the umpteenth time that evening, she sat down and tried to wait with patience. Ten minutes passed and he still hadn't returned, so finally letting her curiosity get the better of her, she decided to find him. She retraced his steps down a hallway between the living room and kitchen. The first door on the right was closed, so she decided that it would be best if it stayed that way. Across from it was another door, this time ajar. It was his bedroom (which was lifeless as the rest of the house was). It was empty so she moved on. The only two remaining doors were the ones to the bathroom and the other to a closet, so by using the process of elimination, she figured that he was somewhere behind the first, closed door.

Swallowing up her fear, she yanked the door open… and let out a scream.

Sakura had found herself face-to-face with Sasuke. Well, it was actually more like face-to-an-arm-load-of-boxes. The stairs led down to a cellar, and Sasuke had obviously been on the way back up. He was startled by her scream, and he too let out a yell and lost his footing. _This is just great,_ he thought as he started falling backwards down the stairs… but Sakura reacted just in time. She grabbed fistfuls of the sleeves of his T-shirt, saving him from a perilous fall. Sasuke, who was still holding the boxes, continued his climb up to the main level once he regained balance. "Don't scream like that again," he demanded with exasperation before passing. Sakura felt herself stiffen. What a jerk!

Once they were in the living room again, Sasuke placed the boxes down on the coffee table and took his place on the couch. He began unpacking the first box. Sakura sat too, but kept her distance. What trick did he have up his sleeve this time? Sasuke's hands retreated from the box's interior with a large, dust-coated book. He blew and swept its cover before speaking. "Please don't tell anyone about what you see in here," he said.

"I won't," she said quickly, resisting the urge to salute (which would break the serious mood).

Sasuke nodded fervently before turning back to the book. He flipped through a few of its cardboard pages before motioning for her to come closer. She obeyed hesitantly, but once she caught a glimpse of the page, she leaned so far forwards that her face was only a foot away from the page. Why, this wasn't a book at all! It was a photo-album from many years ago, before the Uchiha massacre when Sasuke's family was still alive. There were two pictures on this page. The first one was of the entire Uchiha family on Christmas morning. Sasuke and his older brother (who had ended up killing the clan) were sitting in the middle under a Christmas tree, surrounded by toys. Their parents stood on either side with proud smiles. Itachi looked like a young teen, and Sasuke, the runt, looked to be around four or five years old. He was looking up with a toothy grin that Sakura never thought she would see. The second picture was a close-up of the two Uchiha brothers. Itachi was towering over Sasuke, holding a miniature Christmas tree. Sasuke was holding a-

"Hey! That's the star!" Sakura exclaimed. Sasuke nodded. "Is it the very same one?"

"No," he answered, "the old one was broken. It should be in one of these boxes too, so if you'll just give me a minute, I'll find it so I can replace it." Sasuke got down onto his knees and opened another box.

"Can I look through the photo album?" Sakura asked. Sasuke replied with a curt nod. Thrilled, Sakura started from the beginning. The pictures were arranged by date, so they seemed to tell a story. The first several pictures were from before Sasuke's time, either of his parents or an Itachi in his youth. Then there were a couple pictures of a baby Sasuke, then a few more family photos. In a few of the pictures, Sasuke seemed like he was being squeezed or pushed out by his older brother, who had undoubtedly been the focus of attention. After flipping through a few pages, she found herself. "Oh, it's our first year at the Academy!" she said with a grin. Sasuke was sitting in the middle of a group of girls, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Sakura and Naruto, the two losers at the time, were sitting at the other end of the room.

"Why weren't you sitting with the other girls?" Sasuke asked from where he was searching.

"I was bullied," she said simply. "And I think I was scared of you too." Sasuke raised his eyebrows at this, but he continued working. As Sakura flipped through more pages, she spotted a few more school pictures (Sakura was still a loner). She could immediately determine which picture was the last one of the entire family (before the massacre). Itachi was in his late teens, sulking mysteriously in the corner and Sasuke was standing in the middle, clutching both of his parents' hands. But what gave away that this was their final picture together was that it was slightly crumpled, looking like it had been dampened. Sakura had a feeling that Sasuke had cried over this picture a while back… The only pictures left were pictures involving school or his ninja-training. In all of the other Academy pictures, Sakura had obviously shot up on the popularity-scale and in a couple of the pictures, she was sitting right next to Sasuke. Naruto was still on the other end of the room and Sasuke looked pale and sad.

The last two pictures were of squad 7: Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi. The first one was from when the team had originally been formed, and the other was from right after the Chunin Exams. Sakura smiled and slowly closed the book. By then Sasuke had already emptied the contents of the boxes all over the floor. "I found the star," he said. It had a huge crack in one of the sides and appeared to be just about ready to snap cleanly down the middle. Sasuke left the room to throw it out, but that was when Sakura realized that Sasuke had been sitting in a pile of Christmas decorations. She sprang off of the couch and rooted through the pile. Garland, tinsel, candles, home-made ornaments, framed Christmas pictures, holly, signs with Christmassy slogans and even the miniature tree itself! Sasuke had everything he needed here to lighten his house up for the season, but the old grump didn't want to 'waste his energy'.

Well, he would just have to suck it up this year, because he _was_ going to decorate the house. Sakura would make sure of that.

Sprightly taking action, Sakura placed the tree on the armchair's side-table and started to wrap it up with garland and tinsel. Sasuke returned before she had a chance to finish. He froze at the entrance, appalled by her bold actions, but instead of apologizing, she started putting some of the frames onto the mantle. "What do you think you're doing?!" he asked, not harshly, but quizzically.

"Decorating for you," she said, brushing some of the dust off of one of the pictures. "You should thank me," she added hastily over her shoulder.

Sasuke opened his mouth for a moment, but closed it soon afterwards. Glaring, he walked in a bee-line to her. Snatching one of the frames out of her hands, he said, "You do know that this is _my_ house. All of this stuff is mine too."

"I know," was her sweet reply, slightly too cheerful for his liking. "But you're not going to use any of it, so why leave it in the corner to collect dust?" She snatched the frame back and placed it on the mantle. "Oh yeah, Sasuke," Sakura said suddenly. "Why don't you put that red sign that says 'Everyone's Welcome at the Uchiha's on Christmas' somewhere in the front hallway?"

Infuriated that he was somehow not getting his message across, Sasuke snarled, "I have reasons for not decorating, you know."

"I know."

"Then why are you still decorating?"

"I don't believe in those reasons," she said, placing ginger-scented candles onto the mantle. Finally realizing that he was fighting a losing battle, Sasuke plopped down onto the couch. Sakura smiled victoriously and continued with her work. Fifteen minutes later, Sasuke dozed off. By now, Sakura was just about finished and there were only two objects left in the box. The first one was mistletoe. She hung it around the corner at the front entrance in the doorway, where Sasuke wouldn't notice it right away. The second was an ornament that was obviously made by a small child. On the back, these words were engraved:

_To: Itachi_

_Merry Christmas, big brother!_

_From: Sasuke_

Sakura bit her lip. What should she do with this ornament? Deciding to play it safe, she hid it on the back of the tree. Lastly she lit a fire and put the star on the top of the tree. She then stepped back to admire her work. It certainly was an improvement from before! She sat in the armchair. Sasuke was still sleeping with his back facing her.

_Oh the weather outside is frightful_

O

_But the fire is so delightful_

O

_And since we've no place to go_

O

_Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!_

_T-t-tap! Tap tap!_

Sasuke's eyes opened. "That tree again," he grumbled, sitting up and catching Sakura by surprise. His eyes met the interior of the rest of the room. "You've finished decorating," he said sincerely, his expression blank. His eyes met hers and he said seriously, "You know that you'll be cleaning all of this up tomorrow." Sakura scowled. Was that all that he could think about?  
_Tap tap tap!_

They both paused.

_Tap tap tap!_

How strange. The tree's tapping was growing synchronous? Something was definitely going on. They both turned around… and there was Naruto. Face pressed against the window, shivering, nose dripping, and face beat-red… "Just leave him," Sasuke said with a smirk. "I'm sure he'll manage."

"That's not fair!" Sakura said, taking pity on him. "You let _me_ inside, so why not Naruto?"

Not wanting to argue, Sasuke said, "Fine. Let him in but tell him that he only has five minutes to warm up. Then I'm throwing him back out." Sakura spit her tongue out at him before leaving to open the front door.

"Naruto! Over here!" she called through the howling winds.

"S-S-Sakura!" he answered. "What are you d-doing here?" He ran over to the door.

"I'll explain later! Get inside!"

"Oh thanks! Come on guys!" Naruto called over his shoulder.

"-guys?" Sakura repeated.

As they came closer, Sakura was finally able to see them. First Naruto entered, followed by Hinata, then Kiba, Shino, Tenten, Neji, Rock Lee, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji and Kakashi. Uh oh. Sasuke wouldn't be pleased. Sakura shut the door and turned to face a pile of wet coats, hats, mittens and boots in the front hall. After navigating through them, she daringly peered into the living room. Kiba, Shino, Naruto, Hinata, Rock Lee and Shikamaru were sitting on the floor, Neji and Tenten were on the armchair, Ino was sitting next to Sasuke, Kakashi was next to Ino and Choji was in the kitchen. It was noisy and crowded. Sasuke stood up and shot Sakura a murderous glare. "How could you let all of these people in here?! I don't even remember half of their names!" he yelled once he was close enough that she could hear him.

"Well… I opened the door, and everyone sort of flocked in here. I couldn't stop them!" she cried, knowing that he wouldn't believe her. She added, "But it's Christmas Eve! Come on, you can't kick them all back out into the cold!"

He sighed. "I won't," he said reassuringly. "But there are so many people in here! It's going to get out of control!" Choji had now returned from the kitchen with a plate of cookies, and meanwhile, Ino had turned the kettle on for tea and hot chocolate. Someone else had also switched on the radio, and Sakura spied more decorations than she had remembered putting up. Naruto and Rock Lee were singing along with the music (it sounded more like they were yodeling), and everyone else was either watching them or talking. "See?" Sasuke said, motioning to the crowd to prove his point.

"They aren't out of control," Sakura said, the corners of her lips curving into a smile. "They're just enjoying themselves." With that, Sakura took a step forwards and said, "Is anyone cold? Sasuke can grab a few blankets." Several people gave shaky nods, so Sakura whispered, "Go on!" and he stalked off down the hallway to get the requested blankets.

Sakura took a seat next to Hinata on the floor. "Thank goodness you're alright!" Hinata said immediately. "We were all so worried!" Naruto and Lee's singing ceased, and Sakura found herself with all eyes on her.

"Yeah!" Naruto piped up. "When Tenten told us that you had gone out into that storm, we made a search-and-rescue team for you! But then we ended up getting lost too. It's a good thing I recognized Sasuke's house, because if hadn't, we'd all have been goners."

"I'm really thankful for your concern," Sakura said. "But you guys really didn't have to go that far for me…" She was touched by the fact that she had such loyal friends.

"Are you NUTS?!" Ino said, standing. "Of course we'd go that far for you! And by the way, did someone say that this was _Sasuke's _house?!" Naruto and Sakura nodded. "You're kidding!" she squealed, running around in circles. Shikamaru (who was still dressed as Santa), rolled his eyes.

Sasuke returned with a stack of five or six blankets. "Ok, who wants one?" he asked.

After the blankets were distributed, Neji said, "Hey Sasuke Uchiha. I never thought you'd be one to decorate."

Sasuke nearly gagged, so Sakura quickly said, "I did it for him." Neji raised an eyebrow, but was still satisfied all the same. The fire crackled, the candles shimmered, the winds whistled and the volume had finally been toned down a couple of notches to nothing more than quiet chatter. It felt wonderful to be all snuggled up with the people in whom you cared for the most in the world on Christmas Eve. Even Sasuke had to admit that.

_Oh it doesn't show signs of stopping_

O

_And I've brought some corn for popping_

O

_The lights are turned way down low_

O

_Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!_

"N-N-Naruto look!" Hinata suddenly yelled, twenty minutes later.

Naruto stood abruptly. "What is it?"

"Look outside!"

He turned. His heart-beat quickened. Could it be-…? Was it-…? "IT'S SNOWING!" he gasped. The others also turned to take a look. Where it had been previously an ice-blasting blizzard, thick, fat snowflakes were dancing from the sky. The wind had died down by now, and clearly it had already been snowing for quite awhile, because the ground was already supporting more than five centimetres of it! "I KNEW IT!" Naruto wailed with glee, facing the ceiling. "Now Christmas can come! Now it can _officially_-"

But Naruto was trampled by the stampeding crowd. Everyone re-bundled up into their coats, hats, boots, scarves and mittens to go outside and enjoy the first snowfall Konoha had received in many years. "But that's impossible," Kakashi muttered with amazement. "It was only calling for a fifty percent chance of freezing rain… and we ended up getting a full-fledged winter storm and snow? That's the _last _time I'm listening to the weather channel!" he vowed before joining the others.Naruto and Kiba were trying to make a snowman (although the amount of snow they had was limited), Hinata, Sakura, Ino and Shino were making snow-angels, Tenten and Neji were burying Rock Lee, Shikamaru was putting all of the snow in a pile and Choji was making snow-cones. Sasuke was standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?" Ino asked Shikamaru after she had finished making her angel.

"I'm making an igloo," he replied. She looked at him questioningly so he continued, "If you make a big enough pile and let it freeze over a certain period of time, you can dig out the center and go inside."

"Really?!" she exclaimed. "That sounds so cool! I want to help too!" And she started scooping more snow onto the pile. The others began to grow curious, and before long, everyone accept for Naruto, Shino and Sasuke had joined in. Naruto was still stubbornly trying to make a snow man, Shino was still making snow-angels and Sasuke was standing in the doorway, not sure whether he wanted to join the others yet.

"The idiot!" Sakura grumbled, abandoning her snow-piling and running over to the doorway to force him to join them. "Stop standing there like a loner and come out with us!" she said furiously. "It's a lot of fun! And it's Christmas in a few hours for goodness sake! You're supposed to enjoy yourself! It's no wonder you always feel- are you even listening to me?!"

But he wasn't.

He was staring at something Sakura had clearly not spotted. "S-Sakura?" he said slowly, but she interrupted him.

"Don't you 'Sakura' me! I'm trying to get a point across and you aren't even listening!"

"But-," he started, but again, she cut him off.

"Look, I know that this is going to be about your revenge, and I know that you have your reasons for wanting to be alone. I respect them. But… just this once… this Christmas… can you please try to join in the fun? It's because when you're happy… that's the greatest gift I could ever receive!"

He still wasn't looking at her, but she knew very well that he had heard what she had said. He closed his eyes for a moment. "I… actually wasn't going to say anything about revenge," he said quietly and reopening his eyes. "I was just going the say that… I've noticed you managed to find the mistletoe…"

Sakura put her head in her hands. He was changing the topic now?! Had he even been paying attention?! "Yes, I did find the mistletoe!" she snapped. "And I hung it in the doorway so you wouldn't notice it! But that was completely off topic! You should-" But that was when it hit her. Her eyes widened. "W-we're in the doorway," she said, her voice appeasing.

She looked up. It was there.

_When we finally kiss goodnight_

O

_How I'd hate to go out in that storm_

O

_But if you really hold me tight_

O

_All the way home I'll be warm!_

After they broke apart, Sasuke quickly said, "I'll go get my coat."

"Ok," Sakura said dreamily, her eyes blurry and her legs shaking. She approached the others, not really seeing them until Naruto turned to her and said, "You really should have closed the door."

"Ok," she repeated, not really hearing him. She sank backwards into a snow bank. She was on cloud nine.

With the effort of all of the ninja's, the pile of snow was now shoulder-high and more than ten metres in diameter. "I think that it's nearly done," Shikamaru chirped in.

"_Finally!_" Ino said, also dropping onto her back, the soft snow cushioning her fall. The others were also looking tired, but still blithesome. Eventually everyone (accept for Naruto) was spread-eagled on the ground, gazing up at the falling snowflakes as they landed on their faces.

"I'm done my snowman!" Naruto exclaimed between pants. "Isn't it-," but he was cut off when he received a snowball to the head. He was knocked off his feet and nearly landed _on_ the snowman. "Hey! Who the-? Sasuke!"

Everyone sat up and saw Sasuke with a snowball to the hand, looking very pleased with himself. "SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Kiba yelled with a battle-cry. "Boys verses girls!"

"No fair! There's only four of us and we're outnumbered!" Tenten said.

"No you're not," Neji said. "Did you forget to count Rock Lee?"

"Hey!" said Lee.

"I _did_ count him," Tenten said. "But we're still outnumbered!"

"I'll join their team," Kakashi said, being the adult.

"Ok! Let's go!" Naruto yelled.

And so the battle began. Snowballs were whipped around in every direction. The gang had forgotten about being exhausted and hurled snow at their opponents. Overall the game was non-competitive… accept for when Shikamaru hit Hinata in the knee and Naruto threatened to kill him… and then Ino threatened to kill Naruto for threatening to kill Shikamaru… But otherwise, the game was all good fun.

Once their toes and fingers were numb, they all returned inside for more tea, cookies and hot chocolate. Then finally, they decided that it was time for the party to end.

"That was a lot of fun!" Tenten said before leaving. "Thanks for letting us stay, Sasuke!" Sasuke nodded as she and Neji departed.

"Later Sakura!" Rock Lee said with a wink. "Call me if you need me!" Sakura cringed once his back was turned.

Kiba, Shino and Hinata all thanked Sasuke before leaving, and Naruto said his farewells to Hinata under the doorframe. Ino and Shikamaru dragged Choji out of Sasuke's kitchen, they thanked Sasuke, and then they too left. This left squad 7.

"I'm really impressed," Kakashi said. "I never knew you'd be such a good host!" she said, patting Sasuke on the shoulder.

"Let's have a party here next year!" Naruto said with a grin.

"Sure," Sasuke said with a small smile.

"Hey, how about we get together for lunch or something tomorrow?" Sakura suggested. "After all, Christmas is a time to be spent with your family, right?" She avoided Sasuke's eyes.

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed.

"We'll meet at the bridge at noon. From there, we'll decide where to go. Sound good?" Kakashi asked.

"Yep!" Naruto said. "Merry Christmas Sakura, Kakashi and Sasuke!"

"Merry Christmas!" Sakura said. Kakashi smiled and the three of them began their walk home.

"Wait Sakura!"

She spun around. "Yeah Sasuke?"

Without moving, he mouthed a small 'thank-you'. She returned it with a grin and they went home with full bellies and warm hearts.

_Oh the fire is slowly dying_

O

_And my dear, we're still goodbyeing_

O

_So as long as you love me so_

O

_Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Did ya like it? Please review and let me know! **

**Oh yeah, just in case you were wondering, the lyrics I used were from the song, "Let it Snow" (it's been sung by several different singers). It's my favourite Christmas song!**

**Before I let you go, just in case you may be interested, that igloo-method actually works! I've done it a couple of times, and if you've got a lot of snow wherever you may be (as I do here), you should try it! It's fun! (Just make sure that it's cold enough out so that it freezes and doesn't collapse on you!)**

**Well anyways, thank you so much for reading and MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!**


End file.
